Housing Specialist Judith Cruz, who has been with Southside United HDFC-Los Sures for 22 years, and Superintendent Jasmani Santillan, a 6-year-employee were presented with plaques and commended for their excellent work during the organization’s annual Christmas Holiday party, which was held at Freehold Brooklyn on Friday, December 8.

Several staff members attended the event, as did members of the board of directors, corporate and community supporters.

In honoring the two employees, Los Sures Executive Director Juan Ramos said, “Their commitment to the organization, their work ethic and their overall sense of community is what I consider to exemplify the mission of the organization, and these employees embody that, while seeking to make everyone around them feel supported in the work that we do.”

Cruz vowed to “continue striving to improve,” as she expressed feeling “honored and privileged” to be one of the “Employees of the Year,” while Santiallan said that he feels “comfortable to be able to help my company and I try to have a good relationship with the tenants, my co-workers and supervisors.”

But both honorees acknowledged their immediate supervisors for being supportive, and the supervisors were thrilled to see their staff members honored.

“During my tenure as Judy’s supervisor, she has been a diligent and pleasant person to work with. She has a positive attitude and she is a dedicated employee who continuously strives for excellence,” said Property Management Director Vincent Buitrago.

“Jasmani deserves to be one of the ‘2017 Employees of the Year’ because he has produced very good work while coping with a lot of challenges,” she said. “Through it all, he looks happy doing his job. Whenever I call on him he’s always there. he puts a lot of effort into making sure that the buildings are okay. He faced challenges and handled them well.”